Scripps and FreeWheel Collaborate to Elevate Women’s Sports Advertising
The E.W. Scripps Company has announced a strategic partnership with FreeWheel, a technology platform for television advertising owned by Comcast. This collaboration focuses on increasing advertising opportunities within the women’s live sports sector, particularly on ION, Scripps’ national sports and entertainment network.
Expanding Advertising Horizons
The primary goal of this partnership is twofold: to boost investment in women’s sports and to engage new advertisers in this promising arena. Seth Walters, the head of CTV sales at Scripps, highlighted the increase in viewership for women’s sports content on ION, noting that over two dozen new brands participated in advertising on the network in the previous year.
Enhanced Focus on Programmatic Advertising
FreeWheel’s commitment to enhancing programmatic advertising solutions reflects its dedication to solving the unique challenges faced by live television events. The company plans to implement expedited programmatic activations, which involve pre-approval of creatives and tools designed to effectively manage real-time viewership. This tactical approach aims to ensure efficient pacing and ad-serving at scale, ultimately supporting the growing demand for live sports programming in the streaming landscape.
Impressive Growth in Viewership
“CTV monetization through the first eight weeks of this NWSL on ION season has seen a significant increase compared to last season, with growth exceeding 200%,” said Walters. This upsurge positions Scripps and FreeWheel to unlock new monetization opportunities as they look forward to the upcoming WNBA season.
Partnership Benefits for Advertisers
Greg Bel, Vice President and Head of Supply at FreeWheel, stressed the importance of collaboration among publishers, advertisers, and technology partners to maximize the success of live sports events. He noted that Scripps and ION play an important role in the connected TV landscape, ensuring that advertisers relying on programmatic strategies can effectively reach engaged audiences drawn to women’s sports.
Conclusion
This partnership between E.W. Scripps Company and FreeWheel not only seeks to capitalize on the growing interest in women’s sports but also promises to innovate advertising strategies that enhance viewer engagement across multiple platforms. With a focus on expanding the outreach and investment in women’s athletics, both companies are poised to make significant contributions to the evolving landscape of sports broadcasting.
